The Perfect Agent
by daughterofhadezgmail.com
Summary: Imagine a soldier who follows orders, has perfect health, and can take down anyone in 15 seconds. Erin imagined that the day her parents died, and she became what she needed to be. But what if she's not the perfect agent everyone thinks she is?
1. Chapter 1

Erin looked at the director, Phil Coulson. He was swearing her in for extra protection, and Erin was all the backup anyone could want.  
Director Coulson had a team of people behind him, presumable the people she was to protect. There was a book that he was reading an oath from. Erin only caught the last part.  
"...and you, Erin Lance. Are your loyalties with S.H.I.E.L.D?" He asked. Erin looked up to stand eye to eye with him.  
"They will, and will always be with S.H.I.E.L.D, sir." replied Erin. Her couple years of military training had broken her into the habit of calling her superiors 'sir' or 'ma'am'. She didn't mind that now that she was a level 7 agent. She took orders and asked no questions. Lucy would have wanted it that way.  
Erin had a terrible habit of not paying attention. It usually didn't matter since her orders were usually clear and simple, but she told herself to stop an pay attention.  
"...you are now a part of the team." smiled Coulson. Erin nodded her head.  
"Thank you, sir."  
"You need to meet the team now. This-" said Director Coulson, pointing to a young girl. "Is Skye. She does hacking and goes to missions.  
"This-" pointed the director to an odd pair. "Is Fitz-Simmons. The best scientists out there" Skye leaned in and whispered something.  
"Fitz is a little...brain hurt." Erin slightly nodded.  
"Of course, ma'am."  
"This is Melinda May. She flys the bus and trains Skye." continued Director Coulson.  
In the end, there was Skye, Fitz, Simmons, May, Hunter, Morse, Mack, and Tripplet. Erin was going to make sure none of them dies or hurt others.  
"You were brought in for exta protection. We go tomorrow to find a city. Skye will give you the details. Welcome aboard." The Director and everyone but Skye stays.  
"So we just need to go in, destroy the place, and get out. You're gonna go with Coulson to look around. Got it?" explained Skye. Erin nodded.  
"Yes, ma'am" She stood in position for a couple seconds until Skye realized.  
"Oh, right. Dismissed." Erin saluted and went towards her new living quarters.

Erin didn't have much. Not since her parents were assasinated and S.H.I.E.L.D took her under their wing. She never had more than a bag full of stuff. This time she had a toothbrush, some tooth paste and other essentials. The one personal item that she had was her family ring. All her family had it. It had a fire with a bear coming out of the flames with an L on it. She only wore it during missions for good luck.  
She finished unpacking her things, which took about 5 minutes and went outside to find Agent Lance Hunter. His name was common enough, but she had come from a good family and that last name wasn't common.  
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Agent Hunter, but where is the training area." asked Erin. She had never been to great with social situations so being a field agent taking orders helped that. Hunter shifted his weigh before answering.  
"I think you want to go across the hall and to the left. It's not big, but there's a better one at HQ." replied Hunter. Erin bowed her head.  
"Thank you, sir."  
Hunter made a finger gun and pointed it to the air.  
"No problem, love." Erin ran off to training room. Inside was a couple of punching bags and a mat. Agent Morse was punching one of the bags before noticing Erin.  
"Hey, Erin. Wanna spare?" asked Agent Morse with a crocked smile.  
"Why not?" smiled Erin. She felt a compulsion not to call Agent Morse 'ma'am' and she hoped Agent Morse would be a friend.  
Agent Morse gestured for her to come on the mat and she walked towards it. She handed Erin some gloves and she put them on. Agent Morse almost immediately threw a punch and Erin easily deflected it. She had been a black belt in mixed martial arts before the S.H.I.E.L.D training. Erin kicked her side and punched Morse's chest. She stumbed and gave a combo that Erin barely deflected before punching Morse it the face. She deflected it and got a punch in on Erins stomach, but Erin didn't hurt anymore. She threw an easy kick to block and Morse did, getting her into a hard but possible position to flip her. Erin flippef her hand to Morse's neck and swept her feet over, trying to soften her impact. She landed with a thud and smiled at Erin.

"Nobody here could beat me before now." Erin shrugged.  
"They didn't bring me in for nothing, Ma-Agent Morse." stuttered Erin. She silently cursed herself and turned to Morse. She generated a friendly aura that not most people can see.  
"Just call me Bobbi." smiled Bobbi. She patted Erin on the back on her way out and Erin sighed of unknown relief. She moved towards the punching bags and took off her gloves. She pictured punching it, in a way so that she wouldn't make it fall over but in a way that it would still knock out a lot of agents. She looked at the clock that read 4:36. She decided until 5 would be enough since they left at 6:30. She smiled the way she smiled at someone that was about to fight and started punching.  
The clock hit 4:57 just as Erin was finishing up. She had to punch for a way long time at the academy just to get into S.H.I.E.L.D. This was just her training and she liked it, regardless of how it hurt for a couple minutes after. She drank some water and rested until it was 5:06 and then she went back to her bunk, bumping into Simmons on her way there.  
"Oh. Hi, Erin." smiled Simmons. Erin nodded and bowed her head.  
"Agent Simmons. How are you?" asked Erin. Simmons chuckled and looked at the sweat dripping down her face.  
"The usual. Getting things ready for. testing the base. What about you?"  
"Just finished my training."  
"For half an hour?"  
"Pretty much. A mix of punching and core exercises before missions help me impove my performance."  
"Well, I wish the best of luck to you then.  
"Thank you, Agent Simmons. Right back at you."  
Simmons moved past Erin and Erin juat continued walking towards her bunk, meeting nobody else in the way. She grabbed a hand towel and drank a whole water bottle. She wiped off the sweat and grabbed some lethal fighting gloves for later, putting it aside along with her favorite gun, a large hunting knife, and her ring. She couldn't pretend that this wouldn't be dangerous and that she might not come back, but she needed to make sure everybody else will.  
After she finished sorting things and changing into her combat gear, the time was 5:20, also time for the meeting. She slipped the gun into her back and put the knife in her boot. The geat was like normal clothes, but warmer, more flexable and more protective. Hers was custom made to her liking so that secrets like extra cellphones and small knifes were hidden in it with little incomfort.  
She decided to make her way to the conference room where everyone but Skye and Coulson were.  
"Well well well. Look who decided to show up." smirked Agent Mackenzie. Erin bowed her head for the hundreth time on the bus and apologized.  
"Sorry, sir." Mack chuckled.  
"I didn't mean it."  
Skye and Coulson walked in together. Skye was holding a tablet and Coulson walked in and started his presentation. Erin allowed her mind to wander because she already had her orders.  
This time, she thought of Italy, her home town. Specifically, Rome. She was at her family villa with her brother and parents, all having a picnic on a nice day. Her parents smiled at the two 6 year olds who were giving each other food. Her mom decided to lye down on the grass and her father joined her. It took a while for the kids to notice, but they did. The kids felt left out and jumped beside their parents.  
The thought soothed her mind. Short dream stages let her mind relax and killed time during meetings.  
"...alright got it?" asked Coulson. Everyone nodded, including Erin. Skye told her she was going with Coulson and that was enough for her. She followed the team to the bus's back end and they grabbes guns and stuffed them by their backs. She stood by a red car and was on guard for anything they needed. She saw Hunter talking to Bobbi for a second until Hunter came towards Erin. She decided to humour him since he looked to be in a mischevious mood. He came up to her and passed his hand by her face a couple times. She kept a straight face and didn't blink like she was trained to do during torture, though she wasn't using it correctly. He then socked her in the stomach and she swallowed the pain, keeping the pain unnoticed.  
"Don't test her, Hunter. She can kick your ass in less than 30 seconds, I've been told." smiled Skye. Bobbi responded to that.  
"I can agree on that. We were sparing and she took me down in half that time." Hunter looked at Erin one more time before walking back. Bobbi and Skye laughed before Coulson came in.  
"Touchdown in 5 guys. Get ready." He said before walking back to be with May. Erin was at ease and waiting for the bus to land.


	2. Chapter 2

Erin stood at one side, awaiting orders. She could tell that she was freaking everyone out, but she was good at containing her laughter.  
The room had a hole that Fitz-Simmons made to look at what was below. Also there was Morse, Coulson, Mack, and May. They all did something, like walked around or fidgited. Erin didn't need that. She had her dream stances. She looked at the team, working fine without her. She decided to go into a short stance. She sharply exhaled and closed her eyes for a second.  
This time it was school. The teacher was introducing herself and everyone was getting to know each other. Erin wasn't the best with social interaction, so she stood in a corner. A small boy in a blue tie came up to her and put out his hand for a handshake.  
"Hi, I'm John. What's your name?" he asked. Erin reluctantely shook her hand and told him her name.  
"Erin." John asked for her to play blocks with her, and she loved playing so she went. The younger her didn't know what she was walking in to.  
Once she came back, Mack was getting lowered into the hole. She didn't take a second look at it, except came closer to the group in case something bad came put of the hole. She hoped it would be. Nothing exciting had happened since she got there, and she was plenty prepared for something bad. Unfortunetly, after a couple minutes, she heard Mack yell and Simmons hoisted him up.  
Once he was up, he was different. His eyes were pure black. Erin saw this and grabbed her gun and leveled it towards his chest. May grabbed Erins arm.  
"What are you doing?" demanded May  
"He's not the Mack you know, ma'am." immidietly said Erin. May looked at him and stepped back. He started to go for Simmons but Erin tackled him.  
"Snap out of it, sir. I don't want to hurt you." pleaded Erin, but Mack said nothing. He threw her towards the ceiling and she fell with a loud snap. She had shielded her back with her arm, at the expense of her arm breaking. She laughed and got up.  
"Get down, Lance, we have this." ordered May. Erin shook her head.  
"Sorry ma'am, I was brought to protect you." said Erin. She ran towards Mack and kicked him in his chests. He threw punched that Erin could barely block, but she manged to sweep his feet for him to fall. She went to her gun, but remembered that she had dropped it. Mack pushed Erin aside and got up, jumping in the hole with the rope without being strapped in. Erin groaned and got up to go towards her gun, but was stopped by Simmons.  
"Let me see your arm." asked Simmons. Erin put her arm out and sharply inhaled from the pain. Simmons took out some bandagea from her backpack and made Erin a make-shift sling.  
"Thank you...ma'am." managed to say Erin. She went for her gun and put it back on her back. May came up to Erin, looking mad.  
"I accept consequences." said Erin, putting her good hand behind her back. May sighed.  
"Me, Bobbi and Coulson are here as specialists too. Remember that." she sighed before stalking away. Erin followed the rest of the group who were leaving to come back in a couple hours. She was at the back of the group, watching for any threats but they were clear all the way until the plane, where Simmons made Erin go to the lab to get a proper sling. She was there with Fitz when Erin came by.  
"Alright then. Put your arm here." said Fitz. Erin grabbed the sling and tossed it off her shoulder with one hand and put her hand on a monitor, where an x-ray of her bone, which had broken in 5 places was. Fitz frowned.  
"Mack can't usually do this." he complained.  
"Well, Mack isn't exactly himself right now Leo. Go grab me..." and Simmons began to list materials. Erin got bored after the 5th item and decided to go into a dream stance. She knew that 3 a day wasn't good for her physical health, but it helped her mental health. Once she was almost in one, Simmons interuppted while she was healing her.  
"May I ask you a question?" asked Simmons.  
"I am obligated to answer anything you need truthfully." responded Erin. Fitz looked at Simmons, but went back to helping her.  
"How did you join S.H.I. ?" continued Simmons.  
"I never fit in with the kids at my high school. Much like you, they didn't treat me like one of them. They threw pieces of food and paper at me. I didn't mind. I wanted to do self-defense in preparation to join the military, but the kids there hated me too. I got a private tudor that trained me to the very best. Once I was about my 5th degree black belt and 25, he revealed he worked for a spy organization and offered me a position." started Erin.  
"S.H.I.E.L.D?" hoped Simmons, but Erin shook her head.  
"Hydra. I joined, of course. I had no steady job or home and they offered me just that. In return, I would capture threats or help with training. I never killed anyone. I put my foot there.  
When they invaded the hub, I came. I got some prisinors and went out for some fresh air after an hour or two. I saw that someone was dangling a woman off the building. I ran and stopped it, letting the woman hang on to the ledge. I iced the guy, who turned out to be hydra. I then helped the woman up from the balcony. She looked grateful, but I made my hydra logo visible. She grabbed her gun and pointed it at me, threatning to shoot my heart, but only shooting my non-vitals first. If I had the heart to, I could've killed her, but for the first time, the true hydra nature revealed itself to me. Once she was done, I dropped all my weapons and put my hands in the air, giving her all my hydra intel too. She gave me over to the authorites, who tortured me for the truth that I had given all the time. I later got turned into a level one, but with a kill-switch in my head. I followed every order, determined not to join hydra again. Every week they brought me in for a lesson. Draining my energy with their latest drugs. I kept it all secret, but my team soon noticed my scars. I left and joined a new team. I soon got to level 5 and they gave back the detonator, telling me that I could remove the bomb in my brain. I didn't. I keep it as a reminder of who I was and just in case I ever turn rogue. Once my next team found my scars, I moved to this one. I don't mind my scars anymore." finished Erin. Simmons was finished patching her up and Fitz took a step back.  
"You were hydra." stared Fitz.  
"Yes, sir. Thought I was misdirected. Hit me if you want." responded Erin.  
"You saved Jemma. I don't need to."  
"Is there anything you'd like me to do while I'm here, sir?" asked Erin. Fitz shook his head.  
"Dismissed. Take a break." answered Fitz.  
"Yes, sir. Thank you sir." said Erin before walked back to her bunk.

When the quinjet left, May, Skye, Raina, Tripplet, Hunter and Koenig stayed back. The rest us the team staying to examine the tunnel and get Mack back. Simmons didn't want to let her go, but Erin convinced Simmond that she was fine.  
The tunnel was the same as they left it, dusty and old. Erin decided to sit down by the wall and rest for a bit.  
After about 20 minutes, May called saying Skye was was kidnapped by Ward. Erin decide to ask who Ward was.  
"Excuse me, sir. Who's Ward?" asked Erin as she got up, trying hard not to hurt her hand more.  
"One of my team before he betrayed us and joined hydra. Much like you, but in reverse." responded Fitz. Erin inhaled deeply and Bobbi immidietly raised her gun.  
"Your hydra, or were hydra?" asked Bobbi as she advanced towards Erin. Erin grabbed her icer and gun and dropped both before putting her hands up.  
"I was, ma'am. Feel free to shoot me for all I care. My family is dead and nobody would grieve." responded Erin in a calm tone. Coulson put one hand on Bobbis shoulder.  
"Stand down. Erin knows the consequences if she does anything, and she doesn't care if she dies. She saved May and Simmons, Bobbi. Plus, she needs her back check. " ordered Coulson. Bobbi put the gun down and Erin lowered her arms. She kicked the real gun towards Bobbi and just took the icer instead. Bobbi picked it up and now Erin had time to worry.  
"It was my fault Agent Skye got kidnapped. I needed to be there to protect her, as I was brought in to do, but I wasn't" frowned Erin. Simmons came up to her and whispered in her ear.  
"You didn't tell me about your back. I'll check it when we get back." Erin frowned again, hoping to avoid it. She turned back to Coulson.  
"I await your orders, sir." she said. Coulson looked at her and responded.  
"Everyone, head back up. Erin, you take point." Erin nodded.  
"Of course, sir." She rushed to the front with her icer and walked slowly to the quinjet.  
Erin tried to head to her bunk to avoid Simmons, but Fitz caught her and send her back in. She couldn't say no to a superior, so she left without any questions.  
Once she arrived, Simmons was all set up. She checked her back x-rays and showed them to Erin while looking herself.  
"Your back will be fine in a couple hours, but there are various small jabs in the bone. What's that about." finally said Simmons. Erin flinched and took off her shirt so that Simmons could see the back. On her back were various scars of all sizes. Simmons yelped a little when she saw it.  
"Hydra didn't like me not going for kill missions, or for blindly disobeying orders. Since my S.O was one of the heads, I got it to a minimum. Those will never heal. Another reminder. Those were the scars the I kept hidden. All the rest I'm ok with." explained Erin. She lowered her shirt and jumped off the table.  
"Am I good to go, ma'am?" asked Erin. Simmons sighed.  
"Yes, but you should talk to someone. Anyone." suggested Simmons. Erin began walking away.  
"That's what got me recruited into hydra." exhaled Erin before going to the training room, taking off the cast and sling for training and left it in her bunk. It slightly hurt, but not enough so that she missed one of her daily workouts. She made her way to the work out room and started punching at the bag. Every punch on her bad arm felt like a gunshot wound, but she knew that getting hurt more would build up her pain resistance.  
The quinnjet finally put a stop to Erins once it landed on the bus. She stopped punching the bag and went to her bunk. She sat down on the bunk at stared at the wall. A vision was all she needed.  
"Erin, come on." smiled a 20 year old John. Erin, who was 19 at the time, lightly pushed him.  
"You know I hate rollar coasters, John." laughed Erin. John took her hands and Erin took his.  
"I'll be right here." continued John. Erin leaned in closer.  
"If you say so." she said as she pressed down on his warm lips. His hands moved to her side and Erins moved to his neck. She let go of him after a few seconds and held his hand again, pulling him towards the line. It was a nice moment when they were laughing.  
Erin was faster to pull out of this one. This was her favorite memory. When John had helped her conquer her worst fear, later asking her to move in with him. Erin had parent issues, so moving in was no problem. He would drive her to her mixed martial arts classes and then they would grab a coffee at the end.  
It pained her to think of the life she didn't get to have. It hurt her more than the torture S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra did. Memories did that to her, but thankfully, Director Coulson walked in.  
"Agent Lance. I wanted to ask you something." His voice was worried, but firm.  
"Anything, sir." replied Erin.  
"Why take that fall for May, or Fitz?"  
"That's what you brought me in for. Protecting this team so that you don't have to."  
"And why did you agree to joining my team?"  
"My last team ended not very long ago. Every time that happens, a part of me breaks. Every time I take a punch intended for someone else, jump in the way of a bullet to save someone. That slowly builds me back up."  
"Why are you loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D, Erin?"  
"I got in the middle of something horrible. Might as well be on the right side when death comes knocking."  
"Why are you really loyal, Erin. Because honestly, I don't think May would have done what you did, if the roles were reversed."  
"What else do I do? No one would hire me, nobody else to care about. This, S.H.I.E.L.D, is all I have."  
"Good soldier." nodded Coulson.  
"Thank you, sir." said Erin as Coulson slowly walked away.  
Erin stood up and looked at the wall. Her loyalty was not misplaced. That much she knew.


End file.
